I'm not sure I can give a satisfying answer, but anecdotally the train is not really full even at peak hours, and the Green Line has higher ridership with the same headways/3-car trains, including heavier loading between UMN and downtown than anywhere along the Blue Line. Even if it were, job clusters outside downtown would help balance the system a bit and potentially having people spend less time on the train itself (e.g. park n ride from Bloomington to 46th St rather than all the way to downtown). And, there's always this fairly low-cost option out there to improve capacity along the non-downtown portions of both our LRT lines and improve headways.

And if we wanted to gain additional capacity, we could build 282 ft long LRVs with open gangways, rather than relying on three 94 ft LRVs coupled together. That would add maybe 15% capacity in place of four dark operator cabs and two coupling spaces on each train, and it would make the rest of the capacity more efficient at crush loads (balancing).

Remember also that there are some 600+ units going in near the Lake and Hiawatha station (either recently opened, under construction, or planned for the next few years). That may limit what could go in at these stations with much fewer bus routes/demand.

Someone posted in our block's Facebook group that Sister Sludge coffee (from Bloomington and 46th) will be moving into the old Social Dance Studio space at 38th St & 23rd Ave S. Likely related to this:

A 2-5 story mixed use building wraps around the Cardinal, while a 2-story retail/office building and public plaza will be added at the corner. There is also a small residential building [not pictured above] proposed on the SE corner of 38th & 29th, replacing the two houses west of Cardinal's parking lot. Oddly, that surface parking lot will remain, at least for now. Some earlier concept plans showed that parking lot, adjacent cul-de-sac (30th Av) ROW, and the first two houses on the east side of 30th there being a future phase of development.

I hope they take the opportunity to bury the aerial utilities along 38th Street near the Cardinal and new building. The current situation is ugly, and the poles are encroaching pretty bad on the pedestrian space.

It looks like there is green space along with the parking. The parking does seem strange though. Otherwise this looks like a great addition to the hood. The relocated traffic light at 29th Ave, I'm assuming this is replacing the current lights in front of the Cardinal?

The at-grade parking is mostly under the apartments above and largely hidden from view from the street. The at-grade parking is intended for commercial users/customers, and is important for retail to succeed. The portion that is at-grade and open to the sky, not covered by apartments, will be landscaped. There will be a few pedestrian paths from parking to sidewalks, plaza and retail.

The signal next to the Cardinal will remain. The signal at 29th will be added. Buses will exit back on to 38th Street at 29th Avenue, and will no longer exit by the Cardinal. Except for the 23 eastbound, all buses exit making a right turn on to westbound 38th Street.

The at-grade parking is mostly under the apartments above and largely hidden from view from the street. The at-grade parking is intended for commercial users/customers, and is important for retail to succeed. The portion that is at-grade and open to the sky, not covered by apartments, will be landscaped. There will be a few pedestrian paths from parking to sidewalks, plaza and retail.

It is the "hidden from view from the street" that concerns me. Parking spaces beneath apartments and hidden from the street seems likely to increase the risks of physical/verbal victimization; it seems to create spaces where someone could easily hide/lurk, or where someone could be easily dragged.

This location (unlike the Longfellow Grill location), poses a distinct safety risk in that it is anchored by a bar. People who have been drinking are more prone to behave in unlawful and unsafe ways. I am supportive of the development, and would like the design of the large building to undergo a Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) review by professionals trained in CPTED.

I still don't see a reason for either direction of the 23 to loop through the site.

I'm definitely sympathetic to the desire to end the looping and have bus stops on the street, BUT

Unless you're going to widen the street for bus bays that would allow buses to pull completely out of the traffic lane, it is pretty easy to imagine why buses cannot stop in the traffic lane that close to the tracks and intersection. For westbound buses, the danger is obvious (cars behind a stopped bus would be blocking the tracks) For eastbound buses in traffic, a stopped bus would prevent cars behind it from making the Hiawatha traffic light, which would lead to cars swerving around the stopped bus (into the turn lane, running yellow lights, etc.) Bus bays long enough to support two stopped buses would be needed, and I don't think that's possible without acquiring quite a bit of ROW. An additional issue for eastbound buses stopping on the street (regardless if there's a bus bay or not) is that transferring riders would inevitably try to dart across traffic to make their connections. I do think in a transfer-heavy situation like this, Metro Transit and the city have an obligation to consider actual pedestrian behavior and the safety of those crossing (even if they are crossing illegally).

EDIT: Of course, this is all a moot point since bus bays are not happening and buses will continue to pull into the rebuilt station.